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Chicago-Area Clinical Studies Short on Volunteers Living with Multiple Sclerosis

December 12, 2013

CHICAGO, Dec. 12, 2013 — There is an urgent need for people with multiple sclerosis near the University of Illinois at Chicago and Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago to participate in clinical studies. Without the help of people living with the disease, it would be impossible to develop new and better treatments.

The University of Illinois at Chicago is investigating the effects of exercise on mobility and physical fitness, arterial function and mobility, and postural control in order to help develop rehabilitation strategies for people with MS. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is specifically looking into MS in children and teens to better understand the disease.

About multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men diagnosed with the disease. MS affects 2.3 million people worldwide.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by multiple sclerosis. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. In 2013 alone, the Society invested more than $48 million to support 380 research projects around the world, while providing programs and services that assisted more than one million people. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the Movement® at nationalMSsociety.org.

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for many people with MS. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867.

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About the Greater Illinois Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society

The Greater Illinois Chapter works to improve the quality of life for people affected by MS across a 73-county territory, starting at the Wisconsin-Illinois border and extending south through the northern and central areas of Illinois, and to raise funds for critical MS research. Join the movement toward a world free of MS.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide.